Aerial tramway



F. C. .CARSTARPHE. AERIAL TRAMWAY. APPLICATION FILED Imaz?, I922.

19422255, Patented July M, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

F. C. CARSTAFIPHEN.

AERIAL TBAMWAY. APPLICATION FILED .IAN.27, 1922.

Patente July M, i922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FREDERICK C. CABSTAB/PHEN, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO TEEAMERI- CAN STEEL AND WIRE COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW'JERSEY.

AERIAL TRAMWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1922.

Application led January 2?, 1922. Serial No. 532,139.

To all 107mm it may concern Be it known that 1, Fnnnnni'or: C'.Csns'rAnrHnN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ot Trenton,in the county et Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented certainnew and uset'ul Tmprovements in Aerial Tramways, ot which the followingis a speciiication This invention relates to aerial tramways and moreparticularly to carriages for aerial tramways, and has 'for its objectthe provision of a novel 'form of carriage adapted to transport heavyloads with a minimum or vibration.

Another vObjectis to provide a carriage that will have a minimum offriction in its moving parts.

A further object is to provide a carriage of' the class described thatwill have a resilient or elastic load carrying member' whereby anyshocks or vibrations will be cushioned.

A still further object is to provide a carriage having the novelconstruction and combination ot' parts described in the :tollowingspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a side elevation of the carriage mounted on asection of cable and having a load carrying bucket suspended therefrom.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan of the carriage, partly in section.

Figure 4t is an enlarged side elevation of the carriage, partly insection.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 2 designates thecarriage, as a whole, which is adapted to travel upon a suitable cable3. It will be understood, however, that any suitable track may beprovided, such as a rail or combined rail and cable track.

The carriage 2 is adapted to suspendingly support any suitable loadcarrying device such as the bucket 4. The bucket l is of the usualautomatic dump type suspended from a pendant 5 which has its upper endmounted on a pin projecting outwardly from the one side of the carriage,and the lower end thereof is bent inwardly under the carriage 2 so thatthe bale 6 ot the bucket 4 may be pivotally secured thereto at a pointslightly beyond the vertical axis of the carriage and thus balance thecarriage on the track or cable 3.-

The carriage 2 is composed of a one piece integral cast body portion 48having grooved wheels 9 at each end journaled on anti-frio tion bearings10. on shafts 11, and provided with oil cups 12 to provide a convenientmeans for lubricating the anti-friction bearings 10.

The body portion 8 ot the carriage is provided intermediate its endswith. a vertical recess 13V which is enlarged at its upper end to form acylinder portion 1&1, and is closed at its upper end by a removableplate 15, and at its lower end by an apertured wall 1G.

A piston or load suspending member comprising a piston head portion1T`and a shank or rod portion 18 is mounted in the recess 13. The rod 18projects downwardly through the aperture in the wall 1G and is providedwith a squared portion 19 adapted to bear against the walls 20 of arecess 21 formed below the vertical recess 13 and thus prevent thepiston member from turning.

The piston member is adapted to carry the bucket 1 or other loadcarrying member and therefore the pendant 5 is mounted on a pin 22secured in a recess 23 formed -in the squared portion 19 oll the pistonmember. y A coiled spring 241 is mounted around the shank or rod portion18 ot the piston and has its respective ends abutting washers 25 and 26,which bear against the piston head 1T and bottom wall 16, respectively.

The spring 241 is under compression at all times and is of such strengthas to hold the piston normally in its uppermost position even whencarrying a load. However, when the carriage is compelled to ride overcouplings, shoes, or other rough portions of track, the sudden shockwill tend to cause the piston to reciprocate and such movements will becushioned on the down stroke by the spring 241, and on the up stroke thepiston head 17 will compress the air in the cylinder above the head onthe up stroke, thereby forming an air cushion on the up stroke.

By enlarging the recess 13 to form the cylnder 14 a shoulder 27 isformed which serves to limit the downward movement of the piston.

It will readily be appreciated that by providing a yielding or cushionedload suspending member that the disastrous vibrations, jars. etc.,heretofore caused by the carriage of aerial tramways passing over shoes,coun plings and the like, is entirely eliminated.

' intermediate the ends oit said carriage, said oiston beiner )rovidedwith a head )ortion and a'shanl: portion and adapted to susopendinglysupport a load carrying member,

a spring member for normally yieldably holding said piston in itsuppermost position, and said piston head portion being adapted to Vforman air cushion above said head on the up stroke when said piston isreciprocated vertically. Y

3. An aerial tramway carriage comprising a body portion, wheelsjournaled at each end of said body portion, a piston member mounted in asuitable cylinder recess lormed intermediate the ends of said carriage,said piston ybeing provided with a head portion and a shank portion andadapted to suspendingly support a? load carrying member, a coiled springmounted around said piston Vshank and having its respective endsabutting said piston head and the bottom Wall o'l said `cylinder recess,said spring being adapted to normally yieldably hold lsaid piston in itsuppermost vertical position, and said piston head portion being adaptedto torni an air cushion above said head on the up stroke when saidpiston is caused to reciprocate vertically. f

4. An aerial' tramway carriage comprising an integral one piece bodyportion, wheels journaled on shaits having anti-triction bearings ateach end oi said body portion, a piston meniber mounted in a suitablecylinder tormcd intermediate the ends or said carriage and being adaptedto suspendingly carry a load carrying device, said piston membercomprising` a head portion and a Yshank portion, a coiled spring mountedaround said'piston shank portion and having its respective ends abuttingsaid piston head and theV bottom wall oiv said cylinder, said springbeing adapted to normally yieldably hold said piston in its'uppermostvertical position and to cushion the downward movement thereof, and .aidpiston head being adapted to compress the air inV said cylinder abovesaid head on the up stroke when sai-d piston is reciprocatech'and means,tor limiting the downward movement of said piston. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FREDERICK o. onasrnarnniv.

